The One Man Band Festival (Festival de Musique solitaire) is a unique new music festival that celebrates and showcases the talents and creativity of one-man/woman band musicians and performers the likes of loop artists, singer songwriters, dj’s, and other forms of solo performance. For reasons of feasibility, creative expression, financial limitations and technological advancements in music production, artists today are finding new ways to express their output by recording, touring  and performing alone! This festival aims to showcase their talents and support the one man/woman band phenomenon.

Artists scheduled to be performing include: Bloodshot Bill, Magnanime, Wax Mannequin, The Kettle Black, Jon Cohen Experimental, Mike O’Brien, Cocobeurre, Cop Car Bonfire, Jenn Mierau, Scott Dunbar, Lederhosen Lucil and many more. The festival is taking place at a few different venues in Montreal including Casa Del Popolo, Divan Orange, The Treatment Room and at L’envers.

If you’d like a taste of what to expect in Montreal this weekend, download yourself a copy of the One Man Band Festival Sampler available here.

For many touring artists, a ‘Cross-Canada’ tour means playing from Vancouver to Montreal. And at this stage of his career, Reid could easily stick with playing Canada’s major centres. In speaking with the affable Reid however, it is clear that he would never do that.

Currently touring behind his exciting new record Fire It Up, the Scottish-born Reid is returning to Moncton for a show at the Coliseum on Monday night.

From backstage in Barrie, Ontario, Reid tells the Times & Transcript that when the initial discussions with tour promoter Live Nation around the Fire It Up tour had started, he felt as though many secondary markets had been overlooked. Although Moncton was on the first draft of tour stops that he was presented, Reid asked Live Nation to revisit the tour itinerary to include some of cities that were perhaps considered to be secondary markets. Reid wanted to be sure that he was able to share his music and his love of playing for all who wanted to hear it.

‘I have made a lot of friends throughout Canada and not just in the big cities,’ Reid says. ‘I never want to forget about these people when it comes to touring the country.’

Born and raised in Scotland, Reid says that he has always held an affinity for Southeastern New Brunswick. In 2007 when Reid performed as one of the supporting acts for the Tim McGraw/ Faith Hill concert on Magnetic Hill, it was the type of show that cemented his love for the Metro Moncton region.

‘I was standing on Magnetic Hill in front of tens of thousands of people. It was pouring rain but the whole audience stood there for my show; no one moved. That performance reinforced my belief that if you take care of people, they will in turn take care of you.

Nowhere was that more evident than that day on Magnetic Hill.’ Recorded in both Toronto and Nashville, Fire It Up stays true to Reid’s unique blend of R&B, country and rock. He says that while he will be eternally grateful to have been embraced by the country music community, he has never explicitly said that he considered himself to be a country music artist.

‘I think not having a narrow focus with respect to the kind of music I should be making has helped quite a bit,’ he says. ‘I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel and I am certainly not trying to put on an act. I’m an entertainer first and foremost and am simply trying to write songs that will connect with those listening to them.

‘It is a very interesting dynamic. I think that some people had difficulty trying to understand my music and me for a number of years because they were trying to fit me in a box or within certain parameters that I simply wouldn’t fit in. I think it could be very narrow minded of people to think that a country artist has to wear a cowboy hat and jeans to be considered a country music artist. Ultimately, fans or going to connect with your music or they are not. For me, I am very lucky that it is the former.’ For Reid, the decision to make his newest record between two major cities was largely out of convenience. With homes in Tennessee and Ontario, Reid ended up recording Fire It Up in both cities, although the advantage of working with some of the industry’s finest songwriters and musicians in Nashville held a sort of competitive edge over Canada’s largest city.

‘The process of recording started in Nashville, however being able to jump into the studio in Toronto was nice as well,’ Reid says.

‘At the end of the day, you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Toronto boasts some incredibly talented musicians that I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with, but the calibre of talent in Nashville is undeniable.’ In a world of one-hit wonders, auto-tune, and senses of entitlement, it is clear that Reid’s humility and genuine desire to do the very best he can for his fans is a continuous driving force behind his popularity. At a time in the music business when album sales are on the decline, Reid’s album sales continue to increase with each record.

To date, Reid has sold more than 1 million records in Canada and has earned numerous Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards. The relationship that Reid has with his fans is indeed a special one and is nothing that he ever plans to take for granted.

‘Regardless of the agents, promoters, and managers that I have worked with over the years, I have always insisted that no one is to interfere with the relationship I have with my fans,’ Reid says.

‘The people I am writing songs for are just like me; they want to work, make a living and take care of those they love.’ ‘I love to entertain people and give people a show they will never forget when they come to see my concerts. My father is a diesel mechanic and though he couldn’t tell you the difference between chords on a guitar, he can tell if something doesn’t sound great.

Fans know when you’re being genuine and when you are not. I can’t imagine getting up on stage every night and try to pretend to be something I’m not. It is such a humbling experience for me to get up there, put on my jacket and shoes and hope that I can help people forget about their problems for a couple of hours.’

Article published in May 12, 2012 edition of the Times & Transcript

Four of the members of acclaimed Cape Breton Celtic band attended Mount Allison where they were enrolled in the music program. Stewart, Sheumas, Lucy, and Kyle MacNeil all studied Music at Mount Allison with Stewart majoring in piano, Kyle and Lucy in violin, and Sheumas in pipe organ.

The return of the Barra MacNeils to Sackville coincides with the group’s 25th anniversary in addition to band member Stewart MacNeil’s 25th anniversary reunion.

From Halifax, Barra MacNeils member Stewart MacNeil says that he expects this coming weekend to be a memorable one to say the least.

“It is going to be wonderful to be back and see some familiar faces,” Stewart says. “It has definitely been a while since we have been back and I think that we will all be very excited to be back in Sackville.”

While others from his graduating class have gone on to find their own success, few others from the Class of 1987 have had the opportunity to tour the world performing before adoring audiences. Though the Barra MacNeils have maintained a loyal fanbase here in Atlantic Canada, the group has also performed throughout the United States and Europe, bringing their distinctive brand of music to an international audience.

The Barra MacNeils latest release is a symphonic recording that was captured during a two-night run at Halifax’s Rebecca Cohn Auditorium last year. The album, The Barra MacNeils with Symphony Nova Scotia, features a collection of traditional Celtic arrangements by Stewart as well as the group’s long-time collaborators Chris Palmer and Eric Robertson. The record was released nationally on April 17.

“This album is a dream come true,” says Stewart. “The marriage of our Celtic traditions with classical settings has always been a natural, almost organically seamless marriage, but on this recording, the beauty of the arrangements combined with the great respect for the history of Celtic music which was shared amongst all the musicians onstage enabled us to transcend the performance, and capture a moment in time that was truly magical.

“I felt that some of the original songs that we performed with the symphony had symphonic qualities anyway. It is always nice to have that extra colour added into the songs. It is really quite explosive when we bring us all together.”

The Barra MacNeils have consistently honoured the folk-traditions that were established long before the group even picked up their instruments. Tracks featured on the record include, The Longest Day, a reel that celebrates the summer solstice; an orchestral arrangement of John Sebastian’s Darlin’ Be Home Soon; Easter Snow, featuring Ryan MacNeil on uillean pipes in an arrangement by Chris Palmer; and Northern Light, a song written by the Oysterband, that provides a crisp setting for Lucy MacNeil’s haunting vocals.

Looking forward to the remainder of the year, Stewart says the group will keep busy playing shows throughout the Maritimes while also venturing south of the border for shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado. These days, Stewart says that the Barra MacNeils are keeping a decent pace of shows spread throughout the year, allowing them to balance home life with life on the road.

“Of course, we do a major Christmas tour every year that runs through November and December and then the remainder of the year is spent playing wherever will have us,” he laughs. “I find that the pace the we are keeping these days is ideal, especially in light of how drastically the music industry has changed over the course of the last decade or so.

“It is no small feat that we are 25 years into our career. Music has been very good to us and rewarded us in ways we never could have anticipated.”

Article published in May 11, 2012 edition of the Times & Transcript

North Lakes recently released their latest record, Grand Prix, a rousing, guitar-driven eight-song release that is already one of the most exciting rock records to emerge so far this year from this end of the country.

Asked how he feels the band progressed between the time of their 2010 record Cobra and Grand Prix, North Lakes’ Nathan Gill says the band was far more comfortable in the studio this time around.

“We spent a lot more of our time identifying a uniform sound that would permeate the record,” Gill says. “Our first record Cobra was a lot of experimentation and learning the process of recording however this time around, we felt as though we were able to creatively work within the medium much better.”

These days, many bands are choosing to make their records outside of the traditional recording studio atmosphere and North Lakes are no exception to this. The group cut Grand Prix in a church in Long Creek, P.E.I. with engineer Adam Gallant while Colin Buchanan handled production duties. Gill says that despite what some might consider being an unconventional location to make a rock n’ roll record, the environment turned out to be a boon to the recording process.

“Recording in the church turned out to be a great space that really informed the sound of the record,” Gill says. “Colin and Adam were able to capture a sort of Phil Spector-esque wall of sound through the architecture of the room. Plus the basketball court in the basement helped us get a very expansive and natural reverb sound for the guitars on the record.”

While some bands may say that years of playing together will result in a more concise approach to songwriting, there is little to no substitute for the experience a band gains from playing night after night on tour. Largely recorded live off the floor, Gill says the extensive road-work that the band did in support of Cobra played a big part in setting them on course to make Grand Prix.

“Touring in support of Cobra made it very apparent to us what kind of music we want to play. We discovered that we have the most fun with driving, dirty rock n’ roll music. The first record definitely had those elements, but I feel that with this record, those elements are much more clear and concise.”

Carleton Stone will be performing at Moncton’s Plan B Lounge, located at 212 St. George Street, on Sunday evening.

Stone initially cut his teeth throughout clubs in the Maritimes while promoting his independently released 2009 record. That record earned him an East Coast Music Award nomination in addition to two Music Nova Scotia Award nominations while his latest record earned him another East Coast Music Award nomination.

Clearly, Stone’s pop-infused stock is on the rise.

Asked about his recent pilgrimage to Nashville, Stone tells the Times & Transcript that he traveled expressly for the purpose of writing with Sampson. Given Sampson’s knack for penning hits for Carrie Underwood and Faith Hill, Stone couldn’t have asked for a better mentor to help his efforts to break into the potentially lucrative world of writing songs for others.

“I knew Gordie prior to heading to Nashville. The music community in Cape Breton is pretty close knit in that respect,” Stone says. “There has been so much that I have learned from him, especially when it comes to writing songs to be pitched to country music artists. Gordie has a lot of experience in that specific field and has a great sense for what will work for others.

“I enjoy writing songs as much as I like playing shows and traveling so I feel it is a good time to get my feet wet in that world.”

Though Stone has a voice that could capably stand on its own, he worked with Hawksley Workman, a critically acclaimed producer and musician in his own right, on last year’s record. When the subject of Workman comes up, Stone says that he was a fan before they had even entered the studio together. A combination of Workman’s production resume and the knowledge and experience he could bring to the record were big drawing factors for Stone.

“Hawksley was just so established with what he does as a producer as well as a performer. I think my record was the 20th one that he has produced so that sheer knowledge and experience he could bring to the table was amazing.”

Just last month, Stone was in Metro Moncton as a part of the 2012 East Coast Music Awards. He performed a number of showcases over the course of the weekend and ended up making some contacts that he hopes to leverage in the not too distant future.

“This was the third time I have been a part of the ECMAs however it was the first time that I had all the key members of my team in place to help explore opportunities in international markets,” Stone says. “It was interesting to approach the weekend as being export ready in terms of looking at branching out to other territories. I think that looking internationally is the next logical step in my career.

“Ultimately, the ECMA’s are all about building relationships and staying in touch with people. This past East Coast Music Week was probably one of the most productive weekends I’ve had so far in relation to past ECMAs. Moncton did a bang-up job keeping me busy.”